Kids Count: Only 39% of RI low-income families in pre-K programs

Monday

Sep 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM

Rutgers University survey ranks RI 41st among 43 states on number of 4-year-olds in pre-K

Linda Borg Journal Staff Writer @lborgprojocom

PROVIDENCE — Only 39 percent of children from low-income families and 20 percent of 4-year-olds will be enrolled in Head Start or state-financed pre-kindergarten programs this fall, according to a Rhode Island Kids Count report released Monday.

Although Gov. Raimondo's latest budget includes $3.3 million more for childcare assistance than the previous year, state spending on childcare subsidies falls well short of expenditures a decade ago, according to the report.

"We know that investments in high-quality early learning are among the best investments you can make," said Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, a state policy and advocacy group committed to children's well-being. "The question is one of scale. In the past, we have had to patch together a system of programs that don't serve all of our kids, especially those from low-income communities."

Research has shown that the first five years of a child's life are crucial to his or her success. And yet Rhode Island spends much less on early childhood — $9,641 per child in a state-sponsored pre-K class compared to $20,000 per child in a K-12 class.

A May survey by Rutgers University ranked Rhode Island 41st among 43 states on the number of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-kindergarten. But Rhode Island ranks among the highest in the nation for the quality of its programs.

Rhode Island is ramping up its pre-kindergarten programs, however. The state-sponsored pre-K program was introduced during the 2009-2010 school year and this year serves 594 4-year-olds in high-poverty communities. The classrooms are operated by Head Start, community child care centers and a handful of public schools.

Next year, more than 1,000 children will be served in 11 communities, financed by almost $11 million in state and federal funds.

Still, Head Start has a waiting list. The state pays for about 130 slots a year, but in the past, it has funded 400 Head Start seats.

Kids Count, in its report, offers several recommendations to improve both access to early-childhood classes and the quality of those classes:

Pay teachers in Rhode Island's pre-k programs more money. Pre-K teachers, all of whom are state-certified, earn an average of $43,458 in community childcare settings compared to the average elementary school teacher, who makes $66,000. Sixty percent of family childcare workers earn $30,000 or less a year.

"Volumes of research tells us how much the brain develops in the early years," Burke Bryant said. "Yet we have not increased what we pay to the very important people who work with our children. The whole nation is looking at this issue: How we can increase the educational requirements and the hourly wages of these very important people."

Offer higher rates of state reimbursement to childcare programs depending on how highly rated they are. Burke Bryant said Rhode Island is one of only 12 states that do not reimburse programs based on quality. Early-childhood programs receive reimbursements for the number of low-income children they enroll.

Increase the income eligibility for childcare assistance. In 2003, 14,333 children received childcare subsidies. Today, 9,684 do.